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Comments on this story

Guy Posted at 10:15 AM June 20, 2013

Not one mention of the FACT that this issue continues to spiral out of control because the vast majority of food on this planet is being fed to animals so that the meat-fetish gluttony of the apathetic and ignorant can be satisfied. The cure to our agricultural issue finds itself in empathy for all living beings. Unfortunately, the vast majority of us don't exercise it, and so any food shortage, famine, war, and suffering, is more karma than anything else.

Comment 1 of 28

Sloan Posted at 10:20 AM June 20, 2013

We could always reduce population growth to a sustainable level.

Comment 2 of 28

Marc Posted at 10:23 AM June 20, 2013

If you want developing countries to grow more food for themselves, breaking Monsanto's grip on seeds would be a good place to start.

Comment 3 of 28

Jeremy of Brisbane Posted at 10:25 AM June 20, 2013

Less people, less food. Pretty simple.

Comment 4 of 28

Mike Elliott of Sydney Posted at 10:29 AM June 20, 2013

Malthusian scare mongering.

Comment 5 of 28

Karl of Perth Posted at 10:30 AM June 20, 2013

Maybe those who follow the populate or perish mantra should rethink their stance. To put it in a rather simplistic and crude way. If you can't feed em - don't breed em.

Comment 6 of 28

Dogbolter Posted at 10:30 AM June 20, 2013

Given the fact that Australia used to provide most of their own food, it seems that as long as we can keep local production up we will be okay - it's just the out of season luxuries that we will lose. Of course, having sold most of our rural producers over to China may prove a bit of a problem...

Comment 7 of 28

michael of Laurieton Posted at 10:45 AM June 20, 2013

Why is our government actively increasing our population through it's massively high immigration program. Australia's population growth rate is at third world levels due to immigration which is the one thing we can control. At the same time we are on track to become a net importer of food as demand grows and agricultural land is used for development or sold off to foreign interests. It is an absolute recipe for disaster. Both Liberal and Labor are just as culpable as they ignore the wishes of the voters not to have a big Australia which is completely unsustainable. It is time to abandon them and vote for the Stable Population Party or the Fishers and Shooters or the Democrats. All of these parties can see the absolute folly of endless growth in a country with finite resources.

Comment 8 of 28

Tony Stocks of Australia Posted at 10:46 AM June 20, 2013

all the more reason we need to support our growers and not import food that we grow here. T

Comment 9 of 28

michael of Laurieton Posted at 10:46 AM June 20, 2013

Why is our government actively increasing our population through it's massively high immigration program. Australia's population growth rate is at third world levels due to immigration which is the one thing we can control. At the same time we are on track to become a net importer of food as demand grows and agricultural land is used for development or sold off to foreign interests. It is an absolute recipe for disaster. Both Liberal and Labor are just as culpable as they ignore the wishes of the voters not to have a big Australia which is completely unsustainable. It is time to abandon them and vote for the Stable Population Party or the Fishers and Shooters or the Democrats. All of these parties can see the absolute folly of endless growth in a country with finite resources.

Comment 10 of 28

babbs of sydney Posted at 10:50 AM June 20, 2013

hahahaha - pretty funny coming from a Govt. who's only interest in food production is slugging the farmer out of business. Me and my husband have a small free egg farm in the Southeast along with some cattle and a small flock of sheep. Tiny!!!! enough to feed us!!!! but when we sell our eggs to the local butcher the Food Authority comes stampeding to our door's demanding money for a newly introduced so called license to produce free range eggs. Wow not only are we slugged with the bulshit LHPA rates each for year for cattle we don't have on our property we also pay to the MLA (Meat and Livestock taxes) When we sell our beef through the saleyards or not! we are slugged govt taxes for that too plus stamp duty on each beast, in 2010 the Food Authority thought in their wisdom they'd think up a new raft of licenses on food producers so now we have to go head to head with the Food Authority on our pissant amount of eggs we produce for ourselves and one or two local butchers. They're not interested in the current situation, they want a war and you know what they're gonna get one. Anyone coming onto my property trying to steal my hard earned and grown out food will be shot on the spot

Comment 11 of 28

Random internet guy Posted at 10:57 AM June 20, 2013

Perhaps Indonesia and India need to check their population growth and not spend so much on the military and concentrate on feeding their population instead. Oh better not say that as Indonesia will take offence at the truth and demand an apology. I would be interested in how much food is wasted each year, probably enough to feed an entire third world nation. Thats something that should be looked at as well, it might help to reduce unnecessary demand on existing food supplies. One other point its not a criminal act for people to be hungry instead of reaching for food everytime their stomach grumbles. I've heard its one reason for obesity, we can feed ourselves anytime we wish instead of waiting for meal time.

Comment 12 of 28

Steve of Adelaide Posted at 11:28 AM June 20, 2013

This will only get worse until people start to accept that reproduction is a responsibility, not a right. Australia's population is pretty much as high as it can sustainably be maintained, yet our government is still engageed in irresponsible policies like baby bonuses, parental leave, and mass immigration. What needs to happen is a TAX on babies, not a bonus, and immigration needs to be reduced to replacement levels. Australia's population should be capped at say 25 million, because this country simply can't support any more. Otherwise, if we keep our heads buried in the sand, we will be inflicting a horrific future on our children.

Comment 13 of 28

Concerned Posted at 12:04 PM June 20, 2013

Will this encourage our government to stop hurting Australian agriculture and actually encourage farmers to stay on the land?

Comment 14 of 28

Weary of Sydney Posted at 12:14 PM June 20, 2013

Arguing over which country owns which piece of water.
We are a pathetic species. Truly pathetic.
That's why I'm in the unusual position of believing in climate change despite hoping we do nothing whatsoever to tackle it.

Comment 15 of 28

paul b of gold coast Posted at 12:20 PM June 20, 2013

Dan Browns new book INFERNO,pretty well sums up the situation,The world population growth is quickly out stripping the available food stocks. Combined with climate change things look increasingly desperate for the future.

Comment 16 of 28

Swing voter Posted at 12:24 PM June 20, 2013

leading to a crisis for our border protection ? We already have a crisis situation. People are dying. Our sea borders are like a sieve. Anyone can just sail in.

Comment 17 of 28

John Posted at 12:34 PM June 20, 2013

Actually, no. The world doesn't have a food problem, they have a food distribution problem. And it's actually improving DRAMATICALLY. The percentage of starving people in the world is barely 25% what it was 30 years ago. Just more media hype

Comment 18 of 28

John S of Perth Posted at 1:12 PM June 20, 2013

Well time to stop this "Everyone is equal' nonsense and let the poor people starve. Just make sure you and your family are not part of the 'poor people'. Just contrast the amount of money you spend on your family per person with the amount you spend on total strangers per person. See your actions belie the equality argument.

Comment 19 of 28

Lozza Posted at 1:25 PM June 20, 2013

and our wonderful government still allows the sale of our agricultural and farming land to overseas corporations!!
Go figure????

Comment 20 of 28

Dave of Gosford Posted at 1:34 PM June 20, 2013

For a start, councils could start planting fruit trees instead of palms in the parks and public spaces . Why not ?

Comment 21 of 28

You're kidding. Posted at 1:40 PM June 20, 2013

A very important subject, and you lead it with a picture form a stupid television show? What's next- a picture of a Kardashian somehow woven into the story? Well done, News, your class and relevance diminishes by the story. And of course this comment will be moderated out.

Comment 22 of 28

Jane of Orange Posted at 1:46 PM June 20, 2013

Amazing how the earth is considered to be millions, if not billions of years old and mankind can single handedly destroy the lot in the space of 100 years. Stop encouraging over population by paying people to breed. Stop the open border policy. Australia can't support the current influx we have both from illegal and legal immigrants and encouraging the rest to breed. Who says we need 3 people to replace one. Why? To destroy the earth even faster? I'm glad I'll be dead in 100 years because there will be nothing left. I'm also glad I didn't breed so I won't have offspring left to try and clean the mess up. A good place to start would be to close the borders, send the excess back (if they starve to death, then call it natural selection....they could afford to get here, they can afford to eat), stop this ridiculous baby bonus farce and encourage LOCAL farmers to stay on the land. Stop selling all our farm land to the Asians. Sadly, none of that will happen before the whole earth is destroyed completely....or at the very least, Australia is a 3rd world country (where it's heading rapidly)

Comment 23 of 28

Bob Posted at 2:01 PM June 20, 2013

We're only dropping food production due to the low cost competition from overseas. Once food because more valuable it will be commercially viable for farmers to start farming again. We have plenty of capacity left.

Comment 24 of 28

Borderer of Brisbane Posted at 2:07 PM June 20, 2013

So you're a defense contractor and nobody is buying your ships/tanks/guns/planes now your latest war is winding down and so future orders look grim. You could go and lobby a few ministers, spend heaps of money and get nowhere in a tight budget environment or sling a few dollars at an academic to whip up a scary study and loosen the purse strings in the lead up to an election on the back of a nervous public.... cheaper than dinner and drinks with an average politician, worth a punt.
Given that the potential in trouble nations don't have health or social welfare, do you think the leaders will suddenly become worried enough about starving beggers that they would risk their positions of power by going to war? You realise "Red Dawn" was fiction, not a documentary?

Comment 25 of 28

Bradley Suiter of Perth WA Posted at 2:34 PM June 20, 2013

Here's a solution. Start growing your own food. The current model is designed to keep people in business. It does not focus on sustainability. Individually and collectively we can all distribute the plannets stress if we all learn how to grow our produce without chemicals.

Comment 26 of 28

Derek of Adelaide Posted at 2:36 PM June 20, 2013

don't worry I am sure that the Chinese farm owners will let us have the scraps not good enough to export back home.

Comment 27 of 28

Vim Posted at 2:44 PM June 20, 2013

We do not have a shortage of potential supply in Australia, the price levels of most primary production products are just way too low and it is more economical for farmers to leave livestock on the land than to actually work it.
As demand increases and price rises it will stop the exodus of primary producers and more people will find it very profitable to work the land.
We have seen many of our farmers go broke in recent decades, a lot of farming families go from rural to urban because of economies of scale and the drop in profitability on smaller farms.
Unlike most of other nations, we do not subsidise our primary producers so we are more exposed to the loss of skilled workforce during poor periods for primary producers.
Australia has more than enough unused fertile land to feed the entire world now and well into the foreseeable future, the problem is there is no money in doing it at this point in time. Once the forces of supply and demand adjust the price favourably I am sure our output will skyrocket unless the environment prevents it.

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